Andrea King (1919-2003)

biography

Born Georgette Barry in Paris, France, on February 1, 1919, actress Andrea King was raised by her dancer mother in New York and Florida. She began her acting career in the early 1930s on Broadway under the name Georgette McKee in the shows Growing Pains and Fly Away Home. Her first film was the RKO drama The Ramparts We Watch (1940), which was shot in Connecticut. After a few bit roles, she signed a contract with Warner Bros. when her film career took off. Warner Bros. put King in several wartime short subjects, such as Proudly We Serve (1944), before casting her in supporting roles in such films as The Very Thought of You (1944; with Dennis Morgan and Eleanor Parker). In the late 1940s, she moved on to bigger roles at Universal-International Studios and other studioes where she was often cast as a femme fatale in film noir titles, including I Was a Shoplifter (1950; with Scott Brady) and Dial 1119 (1950; with Marshall Thompson). In the early 1950s, she moved away from films and began making many television appearances on such programs as Fireside Theatre, Cheyenne, and Perry Mason.

King also acted in several science fiction and horror films, such as The Beast with Five Fingers (1946; with Robert Alda and Peter Lorre), Red Planet Mars (1952; with Peter Graves), and House of the Black Death (1965; with Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine).

the films of andrea king

The Very Thought of You (1944)

Hotel Berlin (1945)

The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)

Shadow of a Woman (1946)

Ride the Pink Horse (1947)

I Was a Shoplifter (1950)

Buccaneer's Girl (1950)

Mark of the Renegade (1951)

Red Planet Mars (1952)

Outlaw Queen (1951)

House of the Black Death (1965)

Dragnet (1967-1970 NBC TV Series)

later years

Andrea King's last starring role in a film was the low-budget western Outlaw Queen (1957; with Harry James and Robert Clarke), although she sporadically appeared in supporting roles in films and television through the early 1990s. After the death of her husband, Nat Willis, in 1970, her output further decreased. Some of her later films include Blackenstein (1973; with John Hart) and The Linguini Incident (1991; with Rosanna Arquette and David Bowie). Sadly, Andrea King passed away on April 22, 2003, at the age of 84. She was survived by her daughter, Deborah, and three grandchildren.

andrea king films available from movies unlimited

FILMS
Roughly Speaking [DVD](1945) DVD
Based on the life story of author Louise Randall Pierson, who also scripted, this lively comedy/drama stars Rosalind Russell as a career-minded woman in the 1920s whose strong will causes friction with husband Donald Woods. Following their divorce, Russell remarries eccentric entrepreneur Jack Carson, her determination seeing them and their family through a series of crises. With Robert Hutton, Jean Sullivan; Michael Curtiz directs. 117 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
God Is My Co-Pilot [DVD](1945) DVD
Based on the best-selling memoir by Col. Robert L. Scott, this stirring WWII drama stars Dennis Morgan as Scott, who turned his lifelong fascination with flight into a hazardous tour of duty with the Flying Tigers over Japanese-held China, and who faced a test of faith in the heat of battle. With Raymond Massey, Alan Hale, Andrea King. 88 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
The Man I Love [DVD](1947) DVD
First-rate melodrama spiked with great music about a singer (Ida Lupino) caught between a tough gangster (Robert Alda) and a piano player (Bruce Bennett). Andrea King, Martha Vickers and Alan Hale also star in this atmospheric story, said to be an inspiration for Martin Scorsese's "New York, New York." Songs include "The Man I Love" and "Body and Soul." 96 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
My Wild Irish Rose [DVD](1947) DVD
The life of famed tenor Chauncey Olcott is the subject of this musically charged biopic. The film follows Olcott's (Dennis Morgan) rise to stardom, from his humble beginnings in minstrel shows to Broadway and his success as a composer, as well as his relationships with actress Lillian Russell (Andrea King) and hometown girl Rose Donovan (Arlene Dahl). Songs include the title tune, "Mother Machree," "One Little, Sweet Little Girl," "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," and more. 101 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Pirates Of The Golden Age Movie Collection [DVD] DVD
This quartet of spirited swashbucklers is sure to shiver your timbers. First, Yvonne De Carlo stars as a popular entertainer who falls in love with a wealthy aristocrat (Philip Friend) who is actually a pirate out for revenge against the sinister shipping magnate who ruined his father, in "Buccaneer's Girl" (1950). With Robert Douglas, Elsa Lanchester. Wrongly accused of piracy, a hapless shopworker (Donald O'Connor) actually joins a privateer crew and quickly earns a reputation as the most dangerous man on the high seas, in the comedic "Double Crossbones" (1951). Helena Carter co-stars. Next, the action-packed "Yankee Buccaneer" (1952) finds the crew of a 19th-century U.S. Navy frigate disguising themselves as pirates in an effort to catch some real nautical ne'er-do-wells. Jeff Chandler, Scott Brady star. And, with rapier in one hand and rope in the other, Errol Flynn swings into action as a British naval officer charged with stopping pirate Anthony Quinn, in "Against All Flags" (1952). Maureen O'Hara also stars. 5 1/3 hrs. total on two discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French; theatrical trailers.
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 5 [DVD] DVD
"Cornered" (1945) finds Dick Powell in Buenos Aires chasing Nazi collaborators. With Walter Slezak, Nina Vale. "Deadline at Dawn" (1946) follows a sailor out to clear his name after a girl is killed. With Susan Hayward, Paul Lukas. A "Desperate" (1947) trucker gets mixed up in murder. Steve Brodie, Audrey Long star. A master criminal (William Talman) pulls off an "Armored Car Robbery" (1950) at Los Angeles' Wrigley Field. Charles McGraw, Adele Jergens co-star. Wounded vet Gordon MacRae hunts for a friend with his nurse in tow, but will the search "Backfire" (1950)? With Virginia Mayo, Ed Begley. "Dial 1119" (1950) to get the story of a killer who takes a bar full of patrons hostage. Marshall Thompson, Virginia Field star. "The Phenix City Story" (1955) is one of violence as an Alabama lawyer (John McIntire) aims to get his dad elected to office. With Richard Kiley, Kathryn Grant. Director Don Siegel chronicles "Crime in the Streets" (1956) as a social worker tries to deal with a teen gang. James Whitmore, John Cassavetes star. 11 1/3 hrs. total on four discs. Standard/Widescreen (Enhanced) Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish; theatrical trailers.
The Lemon Drop Kid [DVD](1951) DVD
When racetrack tout Bob Hope finds himself in hot water with the mob, he hits upon a fast money-making racket: phony Santa Clauses collecting for an "old folk's home." Fast-paced comedy, based on a Damon Runyon story, also stars Lloyd Nolan, William Frawley, Marilyn Maxwell. 91 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
The Bob Hope Collection [DVD] DVD
First, musicians Bob Hope and Bing Crosby stow away on a boat to Brazil and try to free Dorothy Lamour from hypnotic aunt Gale Sondergaard in "Road to Rio" (1947), the fifth "Road" comedy. The Andrews Sisters and Jerry Colonna also star. Plus, the hilarious and heartwarming biodrama "The Seven Little Foys" (1955) stars Hope as vaudeville hoofer Eddie Foy, Jr., fighting to keep his family together after his wife's death. With Billy Gray, Milly Vitale, and a cameo by James Cagney as George M. Cohan. Three-disc set also includes "My Favorite Brunette," "The Lemon Drop Kid," and "Road to Bali." 7 2/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
The Gregory Peck Film Collection [DVD] DVD
"The World in His Arms" (1952) stars Gregory Peck as a seal hunter enlisted by Russian countess Ann Blyth to take her to Alaska so she can evade marrying a Russian diplomat. When Blyth is kidnapped, Peck and rival Anthony Quinn race to save her. Sig Rumann, John McIntire co-star. Peck portrays WWII military psychiatrist "Captain Newman, M.D." (1963) in this acclaimed comedy-drama, administering help to the battle fatigued. With Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, and Robert Duvall. Peck is an amnesia victim whose attempts to discover his identity may also turn up a murder plot, in the gripping "Mirage" (1965). With Diane Baker, Walter Matthau. In director Stanley Donen's James-Bondian thriller "Arabesque" (1966), Peck plays a language professor hired to decipher a secret code, scrambling to outwit hired gunmen and save the life of an Arab prime minister. Sophia Loren, George Coulouris co-star. Seven-disc set also includes the Special Edition of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Cape Fear" (1962). 10 3/4 hrs. total. Standard/Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English, French; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish.
Red Planet Mars [DVD](1952) DVD
Bizarre mix of '50s science fiction and anti-Communist melodrama stars Peter Graves as a scientist who intercepts messages from God supposedly originating from the fourth planet. The worldwide panic that results leads to a religious revival and revolution in Russia! With Andrea King, Herbert Berghof. 87 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Band Of Angels [DVD](1957) DVD
After she learns she is of African lineage, the penniless daughter (Yvonne De Carlo) of a once-prosperous Kentucky family is sold as a slave to a New Orleans millionaire (Clark Gable) and soon becomes his mistress. When the Civil War erupts, Gable is threatened by one of his former slaves (Sidney Poitier) who has joined the Union army. With Rex Reason, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.; Raoul Walsh directs. 127 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; theatrical trailer.
Darby's Rangers [DVD](1958) DVD
This thrilling war saga traces the efforts of Major William Darby (James Garner), who organized American troops during World War II and led them in campaigns against the Nazis in Europe and Africa. Jack Warden, Edward Byrnes, and Etchika Choureau also star; directed by William Wellman. AKA: "The Young Invaders." 122 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Blood Of The Man Devil [DVD](1965) DVD
Lon Chaney, Jr. and John Carradine play a pair of warlock brothers (although they never appear onscreen together!) who use their occult powers in a battle of good versus evil in this obscure shocker that also features witches, werewolves, and belly dancers. With Tom Drake, Andrea King. AKA: "House of the Black Death," "Night of the Beast."
Daddy's Gone A-Hunting [DVD](1969) DVD
A happily married pregnant woman living in San Francisco has her world turned upside-down by the arrival of her crazed ex-boyfriend, who demands she kill the baby she's carrying in retribution for aborting his child years earlier. Stars Carol White, Scott Hylands, and Paul Burke; co-written by Larry Cohen ("It's Alive") and directed by Mark Robson ("Valley of the Dolls"). 108 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English.
Blackenstein [DVD](1973) DVD
Mary Shelley's tale of horror gets a new twist in this blend of horror and comedy. A ghetto surgeon is experimenting on organ and limb transplants, and succeeds in turning a wounded Vietnam into a super-strong monster (complete with '70s afro). John Hart, Ivory Stone and Liz Renay star. 87 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.

TELEVISION SHOWS
Perry Mason: 50th Anniversary Edition [DVD] DVD
Twelve of the series's best episodes--including "The Case of the Wary Wildcatter," "The Case of the Treacherous Toupee," "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank," "The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe," and "The Case of the Final Fade-Out"--have been collected in this four-disc set. Also included is "Perry Mason Returns" (1985), the TV movie that finds the legal eagle (Raymond Burr), now a judge, stepping down from the bench to defend former secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale) when she's accused of murder. 12 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; featurette; interviews; photo gallery; TV spots; screen tests; more.
Family Affair: Season One [DVD](1966) DVD
All 30 episodes from the series's debut season--including "Buffy," "Jody and Cissy," "Mrs. Beasley, Where Are You?," "Ballerina Buffy," and "The Butler Method"--are featured in a five-disc set. 12 1/2 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; featurette; photo gallery. **30 episodes on 5 discs. 12 1/2 hrs.**
Dragnet 1967: Season 1 [DVD](1967) DVD
All 17 episodes from the debut season--including "The LSD Story," "The Masked Bandits," "The Hit and Run Driver," "The Gun," and "The Bullet"--are featured in a two-disc set. 7 1/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish. **17 episodes on 2 discs. 7 1/4 hrs.**
Columbo: The Complete First Season [DVD](1971) DVD
Along with the pilot movies "Prescription: Murder" (1967) and "Ransom for a Dead Man" (1971), all seven episodes from the series's debut season--including "Murder by the Book" (directed by Steven Spielberg), "Death Lends a Hand," "Suitable for Framing," and "Blueprint for Murder"--are featured in a five-disc set. 12 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: French, Spanish. **9 episodes on 5 discs. 12 hrs.**
Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Sixth Season [DVD](1989) DVD
All 22 episodes from season six--including "Appointment in Athens," "The Error of Her Ways," "Class Act," "How to Make a Killing Without Really Trying," and "Murder According to Maggie"--are featured in a five-disc set. 17 1/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH); featurette; interviews. **22 episodes on 5 discs. 17 1/3 hrs.**

andrea king out-of-print vhs available from amazon.com

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andrea king photos and posters available

filmography

FILM
Inevitable Grace (1994) with Maxwell Caulfield, Jennifer Nicholson, Tippi Hedren, Samantha Eggar, Sandra Knight, and Victoria Sellers
The Color of Evening (1994) with Hildy Brooks, Ellen Burstyn, Kyle Chandler, Martin Landau, Roddy McDowall, Ione Skye, and Stuart Whitman
The Linguini Incident (1991) with Rosanna Arquette, David Bowie, Buck Henry, Viveca Lindfors, and Marlee Matlin
Blackenstein (1973) with John Hart and Liz Renay
Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969) with Carol White, Paul Burke, Mala Powers, and Dennis Patrick
Prescription: Murder (1968) with Peter Falk, Gene Barry, William Windom, Nina Foch, and Virginia Gregg
House of the Black Death (1965) with Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Dolores Faith, and Katherine Victor
Darby's Rangers (1958) with James Garner, Jack Warden, Edd Byrnes, Venetia Stevenson, Peter Brown, Stuart Whitman, Murray Hamilton, and William Wellman Jr.
Band of Angels (1957) with Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo, Sidney Poitier, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Rex Reason, and Raymond Bailey
Outlaw Queen (1957) with Harry James, Robert Clarke, and Kenne Duncan
Silent Fear (1956) with Peter Adams and Henry Brandon
The World in His Arms (1952) with Gregory Peck, Ann Blyth, Anthony Quinn, and John McIntire
Red Planet Mars (1952) with Peter Graves, Willis Bouchey, and Morris Ankrum
Mark of the Renegade (1951) with Ricardo Montalban, Cyd Charisse, J. Carrol Naish, Gilbert Roland, George Tobias, and Antonio Moreno
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) with Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, Lloyd Nolan, Jane Darwell, Fred Clark, Jay C. Flippen, William Frawley, and Sid Melton
Southside 1-1000 (1950) with Don DeFore, George Tobias, and Morris Ankrum
Dial 1119 (1950) with Marshall Thompson, Virginia Field, Keefe Brasselle, and William Conrad
I Was a Shoplifter (1950) with Scott Brady, Mona Freeman, Tony Curtis, Charles Drake, Charles McGraw, and Rock Hudson
Buccaneer's Girl (1950) with Yvonne De Carlo, Elsa Lanchester, Jay C. Flippen, Douglass Dumbrille, Dewey Robinson, and Peggie Castle
Song of Surrender (1949) with Wanda Hendrix, Claude Rains, Macdonald Carey, Henry Hull, John Beal, and Eva Gabor
Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948) with William Powell, Ann Blyth, and Irene Hervey
My Wild Irish Rose (1947) with Dennis Morgan, Arlene Dahl, George Tobias, George O'Brien, Ben Blue, and William Frawley
Ride the Pink Horse (1947) with Robert Montgomery, Wanda Hendrix, and Fred Clark
The Man I Love (1947) with Ida Lupino, Robert Alda, Martha Vickers, Bruce Bennett, and Craig Stevens
The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) with Robert Alda, Peter Lorre, and J. Carrol Naish
Shadow of a Woman (1946) with Helmut Dantine
It Happened in Springfield (1945) with Charles Drake
Navy Nurse (1945) with Robert Shayne
Hotel Berlin (1945) with Faye Emerson, Helmut Dantine, Raymond Massey, and Peter Lorre
God Is My Co-Pilot (1945) with Dennis Morgan, Dane Clark, Raymond Massey, Craig Stevens, and Mark Stevens
Roughly Speaking (1945) with Rosalind Russell, Jack Carson, Robert Hutton, Ann Doran, Mona Freeman, and Ray Collins
The Very Thought of You (1944) with Dennis Morgan, Eleanor Parker, Dane Clark, Faye Emerson, and Beulah Bondi
Proudly We Serve (1944)
The Ramparts We Watch (1940)

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Murder, She Wrote, episode The Fixer-Upper, originally aired February 11, 1990
Medical Center, episode One Last Rebellion, originally aired November 24, 1975
The New Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Deadly Deeds, originally aired October 21, 1973
Dragnet 1967, episode D.H.Q.: Missing Person, originally aired November 13, 1969
Dragnet 1967, episode The Big Kids, originally aired May 4, 1967
Family Affair, episode All Around the Town, originally aired January 16, 1967
Arrest and Trial, episode Call It a Lifetime, originally aired September 15, 1963
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Surplus Suitor, originally aired February 28, 1963
77 Sunset Strip, episode Terror in Silence, originally aired January 25, 1963
G.E. True, episode Defendant Clarence Darrow, originally aired January 13, 1963
77 Sunset Strip, episode Nightmare, originally aired June 22, 1962
Surfside 6, episode Squeeze Play, originally aired May 14, 1962
Hawaiian Eye, episode Big Fever, originally aired January 17, 1962
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Missing Melody, originally aired September 30, 1961
Hawaiian Eye, episode The Pretty People, originally aired May 10, 1961
Dante, episode The Jolly Roger Cocktail, originally aired December 19, 1960
Lock Up, episode Top Secret, originally aired November 19, 1960
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Singular Double, originally aired October 8, 1960
The Donna Reed Show, episode The Mystery Woman, originally aired September 22, 1960
The Alaskans, episode The Devil Made Fire, originally aired June 19, 1960
G.E. True Theater, episode Do Not Disturb, originally aired March 20, 1960
Hawaiian Eye, episode The Bequest of Arthur Goodwin, originally aired March 9, 1960
77 Sunset Strip, episode Condor's Lair, originally aired February 12, 1960
Johnny Midnight, episode Slight Delay at Dimity, originally aired 1960
Bourbon Street Beat, episode Portrait of Lenore, originally aired December 28, 1959
The Alaskans, episode The Blizzard, originally aired October 18, 1959
Tightrope, episode The Cracking Point, originally aired October 6, 1959
State Trooper, episode Sweet and Gentle Ltd., originally aired August 18, 1959
Mike Hammer, episode Swing Low, Sweet Harriet, originally aired April 23, 1959
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Bedeviled Doctor, originally aired April 4, 1959
Maverick, episode Two Tickets to Ten Strike, originally aired March 15, 1959
Mike Hammer, episode That Schoolgirl Complex, originally aired September 21, 1958
Crossroads, episode Tenement Saint, originally aired December 14, 1956
Cheyenne, episode The Law Man, originally aired November 6, 1956
Crusader, episode The Adoption, originally aired March 23, 1956
City Detective, episode Drop Coin Here, originally aired December 21, 1954
City Detective, episode Her Sister's Keeper, originally aired November 23, 1954
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, episode Long, Long Ago, originally aired August 8, 1954
Fireside Theatre, episode The Kiss, originally aired June 15, 1954
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, episode Taps for a Hoofer, originally aired March 5, 1954
Fireside Theatre, episode The Uncrossed River, originally aired January 26, 1954
Fireside Theatre, episode Man of the Comstock, originally aired November 3, 1953
Lux Video Theatre, episode Witness for the Prosecution, originally aired September 17, 1953
Fireside Theatre, episode In the Carquinez Woods, originally aired June 16, 1953
Fireside Theatre, episode The Deauville Bracelet, originally aired June 9, 1953
Fireside Theatre, episode The Hitchhiker, originally aired May 5, 1953
Schlitz Playhouse, episode Medicine Woman, originally aired May 1, 1953
Four Star Playhouse, episode The Officer and the Lady, originally aired December 18, 1952
Fireside Theatre, episode The Sheriff, originally aired October 21, 1952
Gruen Guild Theater, episode Long, Long Ago, originally aired September 30, 1952
Gruen Guild Theater, episode Dream Man, originally aired April 10, 1952

andrea king links

The Official Andrea King Website
Visit this site for biographical information, photos, and more regarding actress Andrea King.